SNAP is calling on Fr. Vogt’s superiors and two Catholic prelates – Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain and Portland Archbishop Alexander Sample to make sure the accused priest is suspended and moved into a professionally-run, independent treatment center so he can get help and kids can be safer.

“For decades, Catholic officials have claimed that the days of quietly moving predator priests somewhere else are over. But apparently, they’re keeping Fr. Vogt on the job around very vulnerable people – alcoholics and addicts. That’s wrong and reckless.”

SNAP also wants Catholic officials to “aggressively seek out other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers,” and “beg anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered his crimes” to “protect kids by calling police.”

This afternoon, SNAP is holding a news conference about the case outside Holy Rosary Church in Portland, where the alleged crimes took place.

Fr. Vogt is accused of fondled a boy’s genitals roughly ten times, kissing him on the mouth at least 50 times and engaging him in hundreds of graphic, sexualized discussions on pornography and masturbation. The abuse started in 1985 when the boy was an eight year old altar boy at Holy Rosary.

Also named as a defendant in the suit are Fr. Vogt’s direct supervisors, the Oakland California-based Province of the Holy Name of the Dominicans (510-658-8722, http://opwest.org/), headed by Fr. Mark Padrez.

“Sartain and Sample shouldn’t split hairs,” Clohessy emphasized. “Even though another Catholic group, the Dominicans, sign Fr. Vogt’s paycheck, these two bishops have a duty to warn and protect their flocks from a credibly accused child molesting cleric and forbid him from working in their archdioceses.”

At least two other predator priests, both Dominicans, also worked at Holy Rosary in Portland.

---Fr. Edmund K. Ryan, who was accused of abusing a child in Eugene, Oregon. The Dominicans acknowledged the allegation was credible and removed Fr, Ryan from public ministry. He also worked in the Oakland Diocese.

---Fr. Leo Donald Tubbs, who is accused of having molested a 15 year-old boy in 1985. (He was one of seven Dominicans secretly being housed at a church building in Oakland as exposed by news media in 2005). Tubbs was "put on lockdown" by his order in 2004, after he traveled alone to Bangkok without permission, and because of boundary violations with adults.

The 12 page complaint, alleging battery, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, was filed on 2/24 in Multnomah County and seeks at least $100,000 in damages. The alleged victim, now 39, is identified in his suit by a pseudonym, “David Smith.”

During the years “Smith” was at Holy Rosary, several other priests worked at the parish, including a Fr. Anderson, Fr. Banfield and Fr. Patalano, according to the lawsuit.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)